Choco

Image Source: The Chocolate Factory Theater

Though it is dying out in the modern age, the custom of telling the bees when their keeper died was once very common. It was believed that a conversation would keep the highly respected bees from absconding or even dying and encourage their affiliation with the new keeper. On March 13, The Chocolate Factory Theater opens a four-day run of Telling The Bees, a dance performance by British-born choreographer Keely Garfield. Recently nominated for a New York Dance and Performance Award Bessie, Garfield forages links between the waggle-and-round dances of the honeybees in this piece, highlighting their timeless industrious, cooperative societies, the sweet results of their toil and the sting of breakdown in our own organizing principles.

Keely Garfield Dance: Telling The Bees
The Chocolate Factory Theater
5-49 49th Avenue, LIC
Wednesday, March 13, until Saturday, March 16
8pm – 10pm | $15

02/04/13 3:45pm

Lunar New Year in 5 cultures

Joanna Eng tells us about Lunar New Year in five cultures – Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, and Mongolian. And while Lunar New Year is February 10 this year, the big celebration here will be in Flushing on Saturday, February 16. You’ll get the chance to experience the Chinese and Korean takes in particular on this important holiday. Ways to celebrate are watching the parade, “wander from bakery to store to restaurant in Flushing, and order whatever they suggest for the holiday,” or head to Jackson Heights and enjoy some momos (one of the special foods for Losar, Tibetan New Year) in the neighborhood, which is increasingly moving from Little India to Himalaya Heights.

TONY discovers LIC, yet again

Time Out New York continues to have a crush on LIC, and posted a short bit on LIC cultural institutions, such as Gantry Plaza State ParkMoMA PS1, Chocolate Factory, and Oracle Club. Also, “Inevitably, however, regeneration brings the risk that some of the iconoclastic fringe element will be quashed—5Pointz Aerosol Art Center.” This institution is going bye-bye and new condos will be going up in its place.

The case of suspended weekend 7 train service – what exactly is the MTA doing?!?

Curious about what the MTA is doing while the 7 train languishes in LIC on weekends this winter? Well, one of the things they are doing is replacing old track with new track – the scene is pretty amazing, with these heavy, heavy section of tracks raised and lowered, and some parts of the track needing to be cut to accommodate the track swap. The MTA has posted photos of the process to their Flickr account and it’s pretty interesting. Definitely check it out to satisfy your curiosity.

Agenda for the next CB13 meeting is here – heads-up, Rockaways

The folks at Rockaway Emergency Plan posted the agenda on Facebook for the next Community Board 13 meeting on Feb 12. “Beach replenishment and stabilization” is on the schedule, which we expect will be of great interest to the surrounding community. About the meeting, REP says:

It’s been moved to a larger location, the auditorium inside Scholars’ Academy on Beach Channel Drive and Beach 104. We’ve reached out to the Army Corps with some of your questions posted here last month and we’ll publish a primer with hopefully some answers at the end of this week.

Yet your neon on, man

The guys who run Krypton Neon in LIC are holding some workshops where you, too, can learn how to bend glass tubes and create some neon art. These workshops are rare – maybe once a year – so if you’re curious, head on over and take a look-see on their site for class descriptions, timing, cost, etc. This could be exactly what you’re looking for.

Image source: Sarah Maxfield

On Election Day, vote with your feet by heading to Long Island City for THROW, a performance-development series at The Chocolate Factory Theater. Curated and moderated by Sarah Maxfield, this installment will feature works-in-progress by Hadar Ahuvia, Tyler Ashley and Christina Masciotti.

Each artist will present 10-20 minutes of material without tech support and then ask the audience three targeted questions about what they just experienced. The answers will help the artists tweak their work.

THROW
Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012
The Chocolate Factory Theater
7 pm | FREE!

Welcome to the second installment of our three-part series, LIC for Brooklynites! The first part was about where to eat, and now we’re moving on to what to do. Here is our list of worthwhile things to do in LIC, from museums, to parks, to recreation.

This post is sponsored by Modern Spaces.

If you are looking to Buy, Rent or Sell stop by of our offices in Brooklyn, LIC or Astoria.

Art and Museums

MOMA PS1

 

moma-ps1-lic-queens

Image source: Jules Antonio on Flickr

This 19th century schoolhouse holds some of the most current art available in NYC; it is one of the oldest (and largest) nonprofit contemporary art institutions in the US, founded in 1971. Various kinds of new and experimental art in all media are displayed throughout the space, and MOMA PS1 considers itself more of an exhibition space, rather than a “collecting institution.” As indicated by its name, PS1 is affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art.

Each summer, PS1 launches their weekly “Warm Up,” a music (often DJs) and dance extravaganza held in the courtyard of the museum, surrounded by the winner of the “Young Architects Program,” usually in the form of a large scale art piece that consumes the place. Inside is the newly opened M. Wells Dinette, the creation of Sarah Obraitis and Hugue Dufour of M. Wells Diner fame, and probably the best place in the borough for sous vide prepared food and other culinary delights.

MOMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, NY 11101; (718) 784-2084; momaps1.org (GMAP)
Hours: 12-6pm, Thursday through Monday (Closed Tuesday and Wednesday)
Admission: $10 adults; $5 students and senior citizens; free for MoMA members, MoMA Corporate Members, MoMA admission ticket holders, Long Island City Residents, NYC public school students, Members of the Press, and other Museum Staff with valid ID.

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